Jeremiah 11:13

11:11-17 Evil pursues sinners, and entangles them in snares, out of which they cannot free themselves. Now, in their distress, their many gods and many altars stand them in no stead. And those whose own prayers will not be heard, cannot expect benefit from the prayers of others. Their profession of religion shall prove of no use. When trouble came upon them, they made this their confidence, but God has rejected it. His altar shall yield them no satisfaction. The remembrance of God's former favours to them shall be no comfort under troubles; and his remembrance of them shall be no argument for their relief. Every sin against the Lord is a sin against ourselves, and so it will be found sooner or later.

For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah,.... See Gill on Jeremiah 2:28 , and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem; of which there were many, and some of note (i): have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal; one of whose names is Bosheth, "shame"; see Hosea 9:10, hence Jerubbaal is called, in 2 Samuel 11:21, Jerubbesheth; very properly is this name given to Baal, not only because the worship of him was to the reproach of the true God, but brought shame and confusion in the issue to its worshipper; as well as because shameful things were done in the worship of it, especially of Baalpeor; who seems to be the same with the Priapus of other nations. (i) Vid. Lightfoot, Chorograph. Cent. ad Matt. p. 34.

(13) According to the number of thy cities . . . —This and Jeremiah 11:12 reproduce what we have heard already in Jeremiah 2:27-28 ; Jeremiah 7:17 . The “shameful thing” is, as in Jeremiah 3:24 , the image of Baal, which would seem to have been set up openly in some prominent place in every city of Judan, every street of Jerusalem. The reference is probably made, as before, to the formal recognition of Baal-worship in the days of Manasseh ( 2Kings 21:3 ; 2Chronicles 33:3 ), but the sin may have been repeated as soon as the restraint of Josiah’s reign had been removed.

Not that they had just so many idols as were cities in Judah, or altars as were streets in Jerusalem; the meaning is, they had very many, and that the people who lived in every city and street were guilty. What he calls their shame , or the shameful thing, is afterwards expounded Baal , called a shameful thing , because it was what they had reason to be ashamed of, and what would certainly bring them to shame and confusion. Baal signifieth lord, and was a common name given to more idols than one; the Phoenicians used the name Baal , the Chaldeans Bell . God, Hosea 2:16 , forbade his people to call him by this name, because so abused to idolatry. Many think that the sun was what the Phoenicians worshipped under this name; some say Saturn was he. Manasseh, who preceded Josiah, reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them , 2 Chronicles 33:3 . Learned men say that the Asians called the same idol Baal, whom those of Europe called Jupiter. It is not improbable which learned men judge, that the heathens acknowledging one Supreme Being, worshipped him in several creatures; some mistaking the sun, moon, and stars to be he, others other things; these they called Baalim , lords, as they called the principal god Baal.

The heathens’ idolatry seems to be their worshipping God in creatures , and paying a divine homage to creatures, the sun, moon, and stars, and other far inferior to them, not believing that those creatures were the Divine Being, but that the Divine Being was in them, and from them would hear their supplicants, and do them good; which, though the heathens might a little be excused in, having no Scriptures showing them the nature of the true God, and how he would be worshipped; yet in the Jews was inexcusable, they having the oracles of God committed to them, which both showed them the true nature of God, and let them know that no creature could be any similitude or representation of him; and that his will was, that they should pay their homage to him without any similitudes or representations exciting them to that homage, fit for nothing but to beget in the minds of people false conceptions and apprehensions of the Divine Being, which is merely spiritual; notwithstanding which direction from the Divine law, the Jews, after the manner of the heathens, would pay their homage to God before the sun, moon, and stars, and before images made with hands, and make altars to such creatures and images, which was the idolatry God complains of, and of which he declares a greater abhorrence than almost of any other sin.

Because of the covenant broken, the Lord will bring on Judah and Jerusalem evil out of which they shall not come forth, i.e., not merely, from which they shall not escape safely, but: in which they shall find no way of rescue; for it in this calamity they cry to the Lord, He will not hear them. Nor will the gods whom they serve, i.e., the false gods, help them then. As to "as many as are," etc., see on Jeremiah 2:28 . "(The) Shame," i.e., Baal, as at Jeremiah 3:24 .

26 . The great influence possessed by the priests in this age appears from the place they occupy next the royal house. Jeremiah 2:8 ; Jeremiah 2:26 ; Jeremiah 4:9 ; Jeremiah 8:1 ; Jeremiah 13:13 ; Jeremiah 26:11 . between the holy and profane ] ch. Ezekiel 44:23 ; Jeremiah 15:19 ; Leviticus 10:10 .